These are the purposes we gave to the State of Massachussetts when we filed
for incorporation as a non profit. The last two are standard boilerplate.

To develop, apply and/or host software and
computer systems that benefit
non­profit organizations and the underserved. Where feasible we will use free
or open source software to accomplish these purposes. Our software will be
licensed as close as possible to the GNU general public license as feasible.

To contribute to free software as defined by
the free software foundation. where that is not practical, contribute to
open source software as defined by the open source initiative.

As a means to purposes (1) and (2), to provide training and practical
experience.

By our example, we will encourage a culture
that measures success
based on accomplishment not wealth.

To receive, maintain, and accept as assets of the corporation, any
property, whether real, personal, or mixed by way of gift, bequest, devise,
or purchase from any person, firm, trust or corporation, to be held,
administered, and diposed of exclusively for charitable, religious,
educational, and scientific purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3)
of the internal revenue code, as amended, and in accordance with and pursuant
to the provision of these articles of organization; but no gift, bequest,
devise, or purchase of any such property shall be received or made and
accepted if it is conditioned or limited in such manner as shall require the
disposition of income or principal to any organization other than a
"charitable organiztion" or for any purposes other than "charitable purposes"
which would jeopardize the status of the corporation as an entity exempt from
federal income tax pursuant ot the relevant prvisions of the internal revenue
code.

To exclusively promote and carry on any other religous, charitable,
or
educational purposes and activities for which corporations may be organized
and operated under the relevant provisions of the internal revenue code, as
amended and under the massachusetts nonprofit corporation code. ma soc filing
number: 200486157290 date: 09/22/2004 5:45 pm

Our History

The CSL started as a group of saturday volunteers working on developing the Lowell Community
Technology Consortium's website in December of 1999. ( http://lctc.org ) The original website was
hosted by a commercial provider. We made a big leap when the computer science department at UMass
Lowell allocated network bandwidth and office space to allow the server provided by LTC to connect
directly to the Internet.

The Community Software Lab become an official distinct project of LTC in July of 2002 with a budget
of $8,000.

In July of 2004 LTC spun the CSL off as a separate entity to pursue a compatible but separate
mission less focused on Media and more focused on improving organizational efficiency.

Readings

Our website is oriented toward potential
users of our services and potential technical volunteers. As a potential
board member, your needs are somewhat different. These documents should give
you an idea of what it would be like to govern this organization.

What is Free
Software (4 pages) We believe that using, creating improving and
supporting free software is essential to our ability to serve the
underserved and to increasing the world's supply of shared wealth.
See non profit purpose (2)

Voluntary
Poverty an idea of the Catholic Worker's movement, is an influence
for many of us. It is not an idea we have consesus on. It is as close
as we have come to figuring out purpose (4)

Homesteading
the Noosphere (35 pgs) As a potential director you should know
a bit about the motivations of people you might govern. We wish
to create as much as we wish to serve, though if our creation does not
serve, we may as well just study poetry or geometry.
See non profit purpose (4)

The clue train manifesto (9
pages) Ninety Five bullet points about the nature of transparent, networked
society, its opportunities and the likely fate of those businesses that
attempt heirarchy in a hyperlinked world.

Paul Graham essay on the advantages
web applications. It was written on 2001, but is not out of date. For your amusement,
there is also a quiz.

Formal Duties of Board Members

(Adopted and excerpted from a Habitat
For Humanity document "Welcome To the Board")

As a board member, you must protect the public interest as well as the
interest of your organization. The public interest always comes first. Board
members are called upon to diligently perform their legal duties:

Duty of Care: Directors and Officers must perform their
responsibilities in good faith and with the same care ordinary persons would
use in managing their own affairs. Directors and officers must remain active
and informed. The actions of directors and officers must conform to the
appropriate standards of business conduct.

Duty of Loyalty:
Directors and officers must act in good faith and in a manner
that does not harm the organization to the benefit of the
director or officer. Directors and officers must avoid any
conflicts of interest or appearances of impropriety.

Duty of Obedience: Directors and officers must comply with the
provisions of the bylaws, the articles of incorporation and the laws of the
state. Directors and Officers must safeguard the organizations
purposes.

Corporate Opportunities: As a director, you cannot take advantage of
business opportunities that would be of interest to the organization without
disclosing the information to the board.

Minimum Commitments

This is the minimum we expect from board members when they start
a new term.

As these obligations change, they will apply to each board member
as they start a new new term.

Current members have conflicting feelings about a board of directors. We are
eager to enjoy the benefits of a board. However, we are apprehensive about
the ability of an outside board to appreciate how our purposes and
necessarily our methods differ somewhat from those of conventional
non-profit.

To benefit from non-profit, tax exempt status, we need to be a corporation
governed by a board of directors. This board accepts legal and ethical
responsibility for the conduct of the organizaiton. This responsibility
has to come with the power needed to meet the responsibility.

To prevent the appearance of conflict of interest, Our board needs to be made
mostly of people outside the existing organization. Our line between
volunteer and contractor is blurred. Many people are receiving compensation
for their work. Most of this compensation is in the form of $350 to $800
monthly stipends to cover the rent and food needed for full time work.
Because they are recieving personal benefit for their work, existing members
can't be considered impartial stewards of our non profit purposes.

Right now we don't have formal plans past a few weeks. It is also likely
that we will benefit from outside objectivity to develop plans and goals that
does not exist in the current organization.

However....

Our 4th non profit purpose is: By our example, we will encourage
a culture that measures success based on accomplishment not wealth.
This purpose is not completely compatible with much of conventional non
profit management practice.

Implicit in our articles of incorporation is the decision to offer people
much more autonomy in exchange for less money. When people are paid well
below their market value, they must be persuaded rather than ordered. This is
a feature not a bug.

We do not expect to pay people based on their value in the broader labor
market. We do not expect the board to communicate with the rest of the group
through a funnel of professional management. We do not expect to grow so
large as to need a hierarchy. (see again the
Cluetrain manifesto )

Again, the board has legal responsibility to govern the organization and
the power to meet that responsibility. However it is important that board
exercise this power in a way that is compatible with all our purposes.
Figuring out this balance is a challenge and opportunity that does not exist
on other boards.

Liability

A non profit corporation, like a for profit corporation is a fictional
person. One reason to incorporate is to limit the personal legal and
financial liability of the directors, employees and volunteers of an
organization. Nolo Press has
information about the the legal status of a non profit corporation.

Insurance is another method for limiting the risks to the corporation.
General Liability insurance protects the corporation against claims of
negligence. Directors and Officers insurance protects the board against legal
action directed against them personally. (Inconvenient legal action can be
brought regardless of its merits) We have neither kind of insurance.

Our budget is extremely limited. Our work is by its nature not prone to
liability. We do not disburse money or tangible assets to the
people we serve, have legal employees, do physically or legally dangerous
work like construction or child care. Our current board has determined that
it is better to provide more services than it is to insurance fewer services. As
our budget grows, this policy is likely to change.

Procedure for becoming a Board Member

Examine the approximately 60 pages of material referenced on this page

Be nominated by an existing board member

email a resume and a cover note to dan@thecsl.org

Your cover note should say why you want to serve.

Your nomination will be presented to the existing board for approval
and you should have an answer within a week or so. Generally if we ask
you to apply, the odds are pretty good that we'll vote to approve your
nomination.

It is awkward to ask skilled and busy people to jump through
hoops for the privledge of giving their time away. However, from my
2 years of experience as nominating committee chair for Lowell HFH
, People who couldn't get it together enough to dig up a resume,
didn't do a great job as board members.